


A Spark of Love

by Kitkattu



Series: Monthly Theme [2]
Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Festivals, Fireworks, Fluff, the three f's of summer, this was for the monthly thing but also very self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-07 00:50:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20300734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitkattu/pseuds/Kitkattu
Summary: It's Diantha's first time attending a festival. Excited to experience a whole plethora of activities, she does so side by side with the crew and a little girl they are tasked with helping experience the festival as well. Where will this small job lead her, and what will spark in Diantha's mind upon the events that will follow?





	A Spark of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Part two (technically part three but I haven't finished the fic that was supposed to be before this one) of the monthly writing theme project with my gbf friends. This one is super long because I super wanted to get it right and also super love Granthia because of a best friend and our stuff on tumblr! So I felt very inspired, to say the least~ Hope people get a kick out of this!

They were skyfarers. Skyfarers who took on jobs to help anyone in need, and only ever expected the reward written down on the Knickknack Shack’s board, or expected nothing at all. Sometimes their lives seemed so simple, while other times it seemed so chaotic, and they were always dancing between those lines until it all blurred into just simply calling it their life.

Their life...Diantha shared this life with all of them. And seeing the stride to the calmer side of it made a smile appear on her face, seeing everyone in their yukatas frolic through the festival grounds doing various things with each other. It was a welcome sight for Diantha, and a welcoming feeling of pure bliss fell over her as she enjoyed her first ever summer festival…

...Of course, things can never be that simple for skyfarers, right?

“W-Wait! Just hold on a second, please!” Diantha hollered after the little girl who had stolen her bag, trying to keep sight of her in the growing crowds. Just a minute ago, the whole group was entertaining the kid at the request of her uncle, who had to help set up the fireworks display that night. It was her first time enjoying the festival all day and night, so the crew had taken up the request with gusto, promising to show her everything and help her have a lovely time. The girl had clung to Lyria and the captain at first, but then seemed to stick to Diantha’s side and dragged her towards every booth and new thing she could find. Diantha wondered if it was because she was experiencing everything for the first time too, and that the little girl got a sense of security or bonding from that...Or at least that’s what Gran suggested when Diantha was feeling a bit embarrassed and confused by the little girl’s insistent clinginess. And his explanation made sense, as well as put a smile on her face at the thought, dipping into her own funds to let the girl play every game and eat any snack she wanted (as long as she didn’t eat too much, and they made sure to share with the crew).

But then she had gotten kind of quiet after they both lit their first ever sparklers. They were bought for every crew member on Gran’s gold coins, the captain insisting that it was the least he could do, and every crew member nearby had squatted in a circle before lighting them together. The bright sparks dancing near the ground made both of their eyes go wide and grins grow on their faces, watching the things with such awe and barely making a sound. By the time they went out the little girl whooped and hollered about her ‘mini-firework’, asking Diantha if they could buy more before Gran presented more to them with the brightest expression. The little girl squealed with glee while Diantha first looked in amazement, and then simple with a soft smile and a sigh through her nose. Seeing the little girl that excited, though, Diantha would’ve bought more for her too.

And so she did, after attempts to ask her what was wrong made her look more downcast. She grabbed Gran’s shoulder to get his attention, asking which stall they had been at, before squeezing his shoulder and walking quickly there with the little girl in tow. She bought some of the ones they already had seen, and impulse-bought ones with different colors, before presenting them to the girl with the brightest smile she could muster. But the tears in the girl’s eyes gave her pause, putting the sparklers in her bag and then the bag on the ground by her side, before going to wipe the tears on her cheeks. But before her hands could get close to her, the girl was off and running with her bag, Diantha shocked stiff for a moment before racing after her.

And so the chase continued. The crowds’ densities made Diantha feel so anxious, being shoved on occasion making her yelp especially when it made her feet twist weird and her sandals snap under her, but the most fearful thought in her mind was losing that girl. As much as she was getting afraid for herself, that girl was her charge, and it’d hurt Diantha so much to let anything happen to her.

But finally breaking free from the crowds did make her let out a huge sigh of relief, momentarily faltering to get in some deep breaths. Her eyes were still on the little girl though, picking up the chase as she saw her head down a street. A few twists and turns that made the path a bit more exciting but nevertheless tiring, and then the little girl had ran straight into a building. Finally cornering her somewhere to hopefully get both her things and an answer, Diantha raced after her into the building, following her silhouette and pants through hallways until they were at last in a room ---

A bedridden woman gasping upon their entrance. Diantha flushed as the woman looked shocked, the ex-maiden stumbling in her step as the little girl ran by the woman’s side. “Momma,” the name caught Diantha even more off guard, stopping completely, “I brought you fireworks!”

The little girl smiled with her announcement to her mother, the woman for a moment looking completely terrified before calming at the sight of the many unlit sparklers, breathing a sigh of relief. “Sweetheart, those are lovely sparklers, but ---”

“They’re mini-fireworks!” The little girl exclaimed, taking one of the sparklers out, “I’m gonna let you see them since you can’t see the big ones up close!”

Ah. Diantha calmed at the little girl’s words, still shaking and breathing heavily from all the adrenaline leaving her body, but now at least understanding the situation. She watched as the little girl began to rummage through the bedside drawers, her mother telling her to stop before she hurt herself, crawling over to the girl before Diantha could move and grabbing the matches she had found from her hand. “You could burn down the whole room with these!” Her mother chided, but seeing her daughter get upset instantly calmed, though with a sad expression as she patted her on the head. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s just that all of the sparks would be dangerous in here ---”

“Then why can’t we play with them outside, momma!” The little girl interrupted through newfound tears, “Uncle said you stared at those fireworks so much last year, and so I at least wanted to give you these! They’re not nearly as big or colorful, but they’re still real pretty, and if I could do anything with you during the festival i-it’s…” The little girl trailed off, sparkler cracking in her hand before she started to sob. The atmosphere got tense with her cries, her mother staring at her with a disbelief that turned into a solemn sadness, bringing her daughter’s head to her chest.

“...Please go take my daughter to see the fireworks.” The mother spoke up after a moment, looking over at Diantha as her daughter started to pound on her chest, but the cries were completely ignored. “Her uncle is one of the most hardworking people in the festival committee, and with her father travelling for work right now there’s been no one to watch over her during the festivals the last couple of years.”

“S-So you…” Diantha trailed off, knowing she didn’t really have to ask the question, and the mother nodding knowingly.

“I asked her uncle to meet with you all instead of you all meeting with me, hoping that it would feel more understandable and less burdening. We couldn’t offer too much since most of our money goes into here, but from what her uncle wrote I was so glad you all have been so good to her ---” The mother paused as one pound from her daughter hit her collar bone, groaning and then coughing a bit. The little girl looked absolutely terrified at that, apologizing to her mother over and over, now just using her fists to ball up the fabric of her dress. Diantha probably looked terrified too, the mother looking over both of them after her coughing ceased with a reassuring yet sad smile, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Just please think before you act, okay?” She whispered out before hugging her daughter close again, the little girl just sobbed more into her mother’s chest.

Diantha stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do or say. The whole scene in front of her was so sad, and felt so odd yet somehow so familiar. Not wanting to burden others, yet also wanting to run around and have a million adventures. On her island she experienced both thoughts, but she had never really acted on them until the crew entered her life, helping her through what she thought was her complete failure as a maiden. She didn’t have to go through things alone and she wasn’t a burden to anyone, and in the end she got to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Surrounded by so many people she now held dear, she felt so...Happy. Happier than she had felt in such a long time…

“...You deserve to see them up close, ma’am.” Diantha stated simply, approaching the woman with a soft smile on your face. “And you deserve to see your daughter see them up close, too.”

The mother sighed, “No, it would be easier for everyone to not attend to me ---”

“Easier on their bones, maybe, but not easier on their hearts.” Diantha interrupted, she and the mother both taken aback by her quick counter. But she regained her composure and continued, “Everyone should be with the ones they love most on days like this, and when they’re not it puts this sad air over everything, and makes what was supposed to be special feel...Painful, you know? You shouldn’t force yourself into that pain to try and make others happy, when that clearly just starts to make them feel hurt too.”  
Diantha paused, letting the words sink into the shocked mother, the woman looking from Diantha to her sniffling daughter, before her own tears welled up in her eyes as well. “...I’m so sorry. I’m just so frail right now; I would never want to slow her down. Even if neither of her parents could be there, I wanted her to enjoy all the sights and sounds. B-But now I ---” She croaked, quickly wiping tears from her eyes, before a desperate look came on her face at the sound of a bang. All three of them looked out a nearby window to see the small lights of the far off fireworks show starting to take place.

“N-No.” The mother whispered, before whipping her gaze back to Diantha, “I didn’t think it was that late! H-How are we going to ---”

“Easy,” Diantha stated, before carefully but quickly lifting the mother from her bed, both mother and daughter gasping, “We run.” Of course that was easier said than done, Diantha not used to carrying full-grown people, the weight easily becoming quickly unbearable. But, welp, this was her idea and she had to roll with it ---

“Yes ma’am!” A booming voice made all three of them shriek, before that voice scooped the mother out of Diantha’s shaking arms with ease, and the voice belonging to a grinning Eugen. “We’ll run like the wind!”

“E-Eugen?!” Diantha shouted, having tripped onto the bed in her startlement, btu sitting up just in time to see the man run off with the woman and her daughter get picked up by Lyria. “Wha --- How long have you been here?!”

“Oh, long enough.” Gran said so casually, appearing as soon as Lyria and the little girl ran off, grabbing Diantha’s bag before grabbing Diantha’s hand. “But we can’t stay for too long, or else we’ll miss everything, so c’mon!” And now Diantha was getting dragged to her feet, stumbling at first after Gran before gaining her footing, though keeping up with Gran’s speed was a bit hard while barefoot. They got out of the building and onto the streets, the crew with the small family a bit farther in front of them, and all of them raced towards the beaches.

“How did you know where I was?” Diantha asked as they hit a main street, weaving by the occasional passerby, speaking loud enough over the growing bangs.

“Oh, Vryn found the little girl’s uncle to tell him that you two were missing, and then told us everything about her parents. It was safe to assume that that’s where both of you had gone, and none of us wanted you both to miss anything in your first ever festival.” He explained simply, weaving past a cart, gripping Diantha’s hand a bit tighter. “And then what you said to her mother...I’m glad you said it.” He added, looking back at her with a warm smile. “And that’s why there was no way you were gonna miss this either.” He gave her hand a hard squeeze before picking up his speed, his words leaving Diantha stunned and speechless, a soft blush appearing on her cheeks as he turned his focus on their direction again. She let out the tiniest sound of agreement, the words echoing in her head but then being drowned out by the biggest boom she had ever heard, she and the little girl both letting out a shriek. Everyone else laughed at that, various responses of telling them to not be frightened by the fireworks, even though the dense forest near the beach made it almost impossible to see them.

But then at last they were at an opening, rushing towards it and spotting Katalina with a chair perfectly placed to seat the mother. It felt like they were all sprinting at full speed for that wooden chair, illuminated by so many colors they couldn’t see, but when they finally got to it all eyes went to the sky ---

An explosion of light blue sparkles lit up the sky over the ocean. The explosion was so huge and loud, but Diantha gasped in amazement rather than fear like before. And then other colors joined in filling the sky one at a time and then mingling together in various forms that Diantha couldn’t help but stare in awe at every one of them.

But then a squeeze on her hand brought her out of the trance, looking down to see her fingers entwined with someone else’s, and then following the arm up to a face. Gran’s eyes sparkled more than any of the fireworks as he stared at them, completely enraptured with them. And the sight of that took Diantha’s breath away more than anything else that had occurred that day. And then a thought surfaced in her head as the whole day was replayed in her mind, looking over every detail leading up to this ---

This is what love was, wasn’t it? The feeling of ease when he held her hand but still the tension of being so close; how her heart felt so warm but at the same time like it was going to beat right out of her chest; how seeing him this happy could make her feel like there wasn’t any darkness or sadness in the world. How he made her so happy without even realizing it. How she wanted to keep sharing this cycle of happiness, and this one moment being the perfect example of why; just the two of them so close being illuminated by the glow of the fireworks, time standing still just for a simple yet magical moment that felt all their own...

...Her words to the mother sank into her then. And although she loved all of the crew, and all of the crew made tonight oh so special...She wondered if Gran would forgive her for staring at the brightest light in the skies instead of the fireworks.

The sudden silence and loss of color from the scene indicated that the fireworks show had ended, but she still had her gaze fixated on Gran’s joyous expression. Both of them seemed like they were finally able to breathe though, letting out huge sighs at the same time, Gran meeting Diantha’s gaze as they did so. But she didn’t get embarrassed by their faces being so close, still coming down from the emotional high she just felt, panting slightly to catch any air she could get.

“The show took your breath away too, huh?” Gran questioned in a hushed voice, giving Diantha’s awestruck face a bright grin. His words brought her the rest of the way back down to reality, jolting a bit in shock before looking at him a clearer mind, processing all of the events that happened.

“Y-Yeah, the show, it…” She trailed off, still staring at him. She wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for him. He helped her do so many great and wonderful things. This man who remembered so much, who cared so much, whom she loved so much...

Love.

“Diantha? Are you okay?” She blinked, taken aback yet again, her heartbeat accelerating as Gran’s face inched closer to hers. Cheeks turning beet red, tensing a bit as she felt the breath from when he sighed, Gran’s eyes looking over her entire face making her hold her own breath. She tried not to make it too noticeable when she finally exhaled as he pulled away, though seeing him looking worried made her chest tighten more. “You’re kind of spacing in and out…”

“Oh dear, I hope all of this didn’t exhaust you too much?” The mother piped up, Diantha and Gran looking down to see her looking equally worried at Diantha, with her daughter following suit with a sorry expression on her face. Seeing that made her snap out of her trance completely, becoming her own visibly concerned self as she finally let go of Gran’s hand and knelt down next to the chair.

“N-No, of course not! I’m not really tired, I’m just...W-Well, I’m surprised, you know?” She started, trying to give the small family a reassuring smile. “I mean, I never knew lights could shine so bright before, you know?”

“Oh yeah, this your first time seeing fireworks too!” The little girl gasped, grabbing one of Diantha’s hands into her own, eyes glistening and smile beaming instantly when Diantha nodded. “Oh they were so wonderful, weren’t they?! It was all happening so fast, you know? And there were so many different kinds and so many colors, and the one that goes whoooooooooosh, and then BAM --- !”

“Hehe, that was the best one I made~” Io grinned, pride filling her chest as she ran over to greet everyone, Rackam in tow. “Ah~, I’m glad they all turned out so well for you!” She patted the little girl on the head.

The little girl’s eyes widened even more at Io’s claim, “You made those?!”

“Yup, but she didn’t make all of them, sweetie.” Rackam said before Io could boast anymore, “Magic can only make so many fireworks at a time, so the rest of the crew pitched in to buy or make more from the resources in the Knickknack Shack, and I think the results were a resounding success!”

“Mmhm! It was all so, so, so pretty!” The little girl exclaimed, bouncing around while going on and on about the display to Rackham and Io. Diantha couldn’t help but smile at the sight, then looking over at the mom as she sighed, seeing the mother watch her child with a joyful smile on her face.

“...Thank you all for all of this. I never thought I’d get to experience something like this again, much less with my daughter looking as happy as she is. It’s like bridging such a great divide I thought I’d never cross, what with everything that’s happened…” The woman paused to take a deep breath, wiping away tears that were beginning to form in her eyes, before looking over at Diantha and patting her on the head. “Your crew have brought so much happiness to a small family like us; probably more happiness than I could ever repay. Just...Thank you.”

Diantha didn’t know exactly what to say at first, taken aback by the words. But a smile formed on her face soon enough, taking the woman’s hand and held it between her own. “It was the least we could do for you and your daughter, ma’am. Seeing you both look so happy is the best reward we could’ve gotten out of this whole thing.” Diantha stated confidently, the woman looking so happy at the ex-maiden’s words, both of them soon grinning from ear to ear.

“Welp, the festival vendors and staff are packing up, so I suppose it’s time for us to pack up as well!” Eugen called, offering his arms for the mother, to which she nodded before he picked her up bridal style like before. Katalina was quick in picking up the mother’s chair before Diantha could, the ex-maiden getting a bit flustered and going to ask to help her before Katalina spoke up, “You don’t need to carry this with bare feet, Diantha. You look tired as is from all of the excitement from running around with the little girl.”

“Oh that’s right! I retrieved your sandals while we were looking for you; found them in the middle of a huge crowd all beaten and bruised.” Rosetta showed up and explained before Diantha could get a word in, showing off the crushed things that made Diantha frown, prompting another reply from Rosetta. “Oh don’t worry dear, we can pick out new ones tomorrow, but the shops are closed now. And it’d be awfully dangerous for you to walk barefoot all the way home ---”

“O-Oh, you don’t have to worry about that, Rosetta. Most of the way is paved streets ---”

“But you’ve ran so much today that your feet have to be aching! I’m proud of you for taking it all with chin held high so far, but we don’t want you getting welts on your soles, now do we?” Rosetta countered instantly with a smirk.

“We’re still doing some work here tomorrow too, so we need you as well rested as you can be. And avoiding injury is always one of the top priorities before, during, and after a mission.” Katalina added on, causing Diantha to just make sounds as a response. Try as she might to form an argument, all of their logic was pretty sound. And she wouldn’t want the pain of welts or feeling incredibly sore when she woke up tomorrow. Even so…

“W-Well, I can’t necessarily float back to the ship, and I don’t want you to struggle carrying me, Rosetta.”

“Oh darling, you wouldn’t be a struggle at all! You’ve seen how strong we both are...But, alas, Katalina has insisted on helping Eugen with the mother’s things, and I have to help Io and Rackam carry our leftover supplies from the fireworks show. Which just leaves ---”

A bit of a commotion cut Rosetta short, all three of them turning to the sound of the daughter laughing in Lyria’s arms, Lyria spinning while sprinting forward and laughing at an equal volume. Vryn flew around them chatting up a storm, and then a bit of a worried yet happy looking Gran looking on behind them. The loud trio passed by them without resistance, but Rosetta clasped her hand on Gran’s shoulder, stopping him before he could take off. “--- Our wonderful and ever kindhearted captain!”

“Y-Yes?” Gran gasped out, a bit startled by the sudden approach.

“Oh captain, our poor Diantha needs assistance back to the ship. She’s been running around barefoot this whole time, and we don’t want her hurting or exhausting herself anymore, do we?” Rosetta questioned, perhaps looking a bit too intensely at Gran.

Diantha looked away in embarrassment, watching Katalina go after Lyria and Vyrn, and seeing Eugen with the mother in his arms waiting on the entrance to the forest road. Rackam and Io called for Rosetta soon after, making Diantha turn to watch the woman leave to help them carry things, a grin on her face. And then at last she turned to where Gran stood, surprised to see him with arms half outstretched and grinning sheepishly. “...Rosetta said it’d probably be best to carry you bridal-style, so you don’t mess up your yukata. I-If that’s okay with you?” Diantha blushed at that, not sure whether to be mad at the woman’s embarrassing suggestion, or thankful for her helpful stance on her attire. Either way, words would be laid out for her.

“...Th-That’s fine. I just hope I’m not burdening you too much with carrying me.” Diantha wondered out loud, but she couldn’t even feel down for a second before Gran had scooped her up. She shrieked in surprise at suddenly being held close in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and bouncing a bit as he adjusted his hold on her. Rackam, Io, and Rosetta passed by with various things in their arms soon after, all three of them grinning at the sight which Diantha mentally took in various ways.

“No worries, Diantha!” Gran chimed, making Diantha look up at him, and seeing him grin from ear to ear. “Remember your own words sometimes, okay? You’re not a burden at all. And you’ve helped out so much today anyways; it’s the least I can do!”

“O-Oh...Okay.” Diantha replied simply as Gran began to move forward, her eyes still locked on him as a silence fell over them. In front of them was their chattering crew, but around them felt this odd stillness, and Diantha breathed it in for a moment as words began to fill her mind. Her own words...

“...Gran?” She whispered out, adjusting her arms around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder, looking out over the joyful crew in front of them.

“Hmm?”

“...Thank you.”

“Ah, you don’t have to thank me; it was Rosetta’s idea to carry you ---”

“N-No, not just that...For everything.” She looked up at Gran, meeting his slightly confused expression with a smile as warm as the sun. “For everything you do for me and the rest of the crew. For all the adventures we get to go through everyday, whether treacherous or ridiculous happenings, and all the smiles we bring to others and to each other. I-I know that isn’t all you, but if you hadn’t accepted that offer to protect us on Xochitl and been there for me in such a low time, I probably would’ve never gathered the courage to fly in the sky. To journey among a crew like this, and see new sights I had only dreamt and read about…” She paused, feeling tears well up in her eyes and immediately blinking them away, looking away from Gran and back in front of them. Her expression softened, “...I love that it’s my reality now. Today just reminded me of that, and I think today’s one of the best days of my life. I just wanted to say thank you, since I never thought a day like this could actually happen to me.”

Silence hung over them for a moment, making Diantha blush and replay her words in her head to see if she had said anything super embarrassing or out of line, and she at least picked out a few embarrassing lines that made her blush even more. Feeling Gran pause in his step made her mind race even more, looking up at him to see if he was just shocked or offended in any way ---

The softest smile graced his face, his whole expression seeming to glow in the moonlight as he looked down at her. “...I hope more days like this happen for you then, Diantha. And that you see so many sights and experience so many things like this, that this becomes your reality forever.” The soft smile morphed into an excited grin, words getting a bit more boisterous as he went on, as if hyping up his hopes for her future to the skies.

He adjusted her placement in his arms as she gasped at his exclamations...But did she need to be surprised? Of course he probably wanted something like this for all of his crew, but hearing those words directed at her made her feel equally joyful and hopeful inside, chest swelling with happiness at the possibilities and her heart skipping a beat. “Then I hope we can experience that reality together, Gran!” She resounded in her lifting excitement, giggling and grinning into her words...Until she realized how embarrassing that also sounded, turning her eyes away from Gran again as her face burned a deep red. Resting her head against his shoulder again, she didn’t know if the heat radiating from Gran was him also getting embarrassed or her heat soaking into him. Whatever the case, his chuckles made her feel a tad more at ease in thinking that what she said wasn’t wrong...But she had to think of a way to stop herself from being so accidentally forward like this, especially while she’s trying to sort out her growing feelings, wanting to make sure if Gran had shone so magically just because of the magical fireworks, or because of something that only Diantha’s eyes could describe as sparks.


End file.
